


Drift Away

by Mirrored_Illusions



Series: 2020 August Fic-A-Day [3]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: 2020 August Fic-A-Day, Crossover, First Meetings, Gen, Post-Canon, Post-Episode: s07e22 Chosen, Post-Season/Series 02, Pre-Season/Series 03, Twisting The Hellmouth Fic-a-Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:07:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25717036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mirrored_Illusions/pseuds/Mirrored_Illusions
Summary: Even alone in a post-apocalyptic world there are people in need of saveage.
Series: 2020 August Fic-A-Day [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1860277
Comments: 5
Kudos: 23





	1. Post- Apocalypse

**Author's Note:**

> Timeline: BtVS: Post-Chosen & TWD: S03.  
> Disclaimer: The Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon and the TWD 'verse belongs to rich people with expensive lawyers.  
> Author's Note: Written for Day 04 of the 2020 August Fic-A-Day.  
> A/N: Meh. I'm going to go sleep now.

In hindsight, she should've spent more time learning how to do maintenance on her car, but there had always been someone to do it for her, or she could just pay someone to do it. Now she was paying for that. Which was why she was walking alone in the middle of the road during the post-apocalypse.  
  
The Council-owned car had been left several miles behind, out of gas, and with most of her stuff still in the trunk. Sorting through her belongings had been easier than she had expected. She couldn't remember who had told her, but she separated anything vital from the rest: water, food, medication, weapons, and ammunition for the gun she didn't want but had been necessary on a couple of occasions.  
  
That left clothes, shoes, toiletries, books, and other smaller things. A group of Council witches had spelled a backpack for each of them so it held three times the volume it should've. It was highly beneficial as they all traveled quite a lot. Even with that bonus, she had to leave most of her things behind. Two changes of clothes, a comfortable pair of extra shoes, two towels, a washcloth, and four books. Everything else was left with the car.  
  
All she needed now was the necessities for survival. Long gone were the days when even an overnight stay meant four bags of clothes and a whole lot of nothing she didn't need. It was a good feeling in a way.  
  
Back when Tara had been alive she had spelled a water bottle to refill itself and then she'd given it to Buffy. From what she understood of the explanation, it took the water vapor from the air and replaced it inside the bottle. The idea had been for her to use it when she was out Slaying to keep her hydrated. She'd been appreciative back then, but now it was a godsend. Or was that a goddess send? Either way, it had been all she'd had at times when she had been unable to find food or uncontaminated water or other liquids.  
  
Buffy had no idea where she was going. In the last days before the world collapsed into chaos, they had all agreed to help whoever they came across but not try to seek each other out. All of them were spread across the world in various capacities. Willow was in England with her girlfriend of two years, Xander was in Spain with Andrew and three young Slayers, Giles was holding down the fort in England but on the opposite side from Willow. Dawn was in Africa with a group of Slayers trying to research the First Slayers and the Shadowmen.  
  
Faith was off somewhere on her lonesome as everyone on the Council drove her crazy. She was in America though, so there was a very small chance they might cross paths.  
  
A hidden pocket in her backpack contained her laptop and cell phone, both of them magically modified. Willow and some of her fellow witches had managed to get phones to work off of natural magic, the kind anyone with some kind of magical ability had. It had left Xander as the odd man out, but since he was traveling with Andrew it worked out.  
  
The agreement was to have a conference call once a week to keep everyone updated. The last call had come with the sad news of Willow's death by way of a walker attack. The news had been delivered by her girlfriend before she disconnected and let them talk in peace. Most of them had reported deaths in the groups, but Wills had been the first of the Scoobies to die.  
  
It was summer and hotter than she would've liked without the benefit of air condition or the chance to go for a swim. Still, she kept walking. In the beginning, she had been a part of several different groups, but in-fighting and the undead had either killed them off or they had split into smaller groups. It was incredible how many people chose to see her as a danger to them rather than a major asset. It had caused her to leave more than once.  
  
In the distance, she heard a woman coughing. Focusing her supernatural hearing, she could make out a second person quietly telling the woman to try and be quiet. It was followed by more coughing almost immediately. Sick people were bad company but she hadn't seen a living person in almost two weeks so she went off the road and in search of the two women.  
  
A fast Slayer-walk later and she was greeted by the sight of a white woman with blonde hair and a red nose. Beside her was a dark-skinned woman with dreadlocks and a wicked-looking katana that instantly made her envious. The sick woman looked exhausted and as if she belonged at home in bed.  
  
A few minutes passed as Buffy just watched them for any hint of danger or duplicity. It wouldn't have been the first time someone pretended to need help so they could capture fellow survivors for some kind of nefarious reason.   
  
There was no one else nearby though, just the two people she was already looking at. Plus a small herd heading straight for them. Every instinct in her body was screaming for her to save them from the danger, and after giving it another few minutes, she stepped out from behind the tree where she had been spying on them.  
  
"Um," she interrupted them a little awkwardly. "Sorry to cut in on your conversation, but there's a herd heading this way. So you might want to vamoose." She had been so good at this kind of thing once upon a time. Now the two people she was trying to save were looking at her as if she was crazy.   
  
"Now," she added a little more forcefully when they didn't move and made small shooing motions with her hands. The black woman got up and unsheathed the katana, but she was aiming it at Buffy. "I'm not trying to trick you. If it helps you can choose the direction and I'll go the other way, as long as you do go toward them."  
  
That had worked on other skittish people. "Who are you?" It came from the blonde and she was instantly given a warning glance from her friend.  
  
"Who I am is unimportant, just get up and move." They got up, but only the lady with the awesome katana seemed to have any kind of situational awareness. The other had another coughing fit and then asked even more questions.  
  
Then the first walkers became visible in the not so distant distance, and they finally put a move on and began desperately looking for somewhere to hide. It was too late, they would have to fight and she already knew the blonde would be useless.  
  
The herd wasn't as large as Buffy had feared, but it was spread out wide. Fighting the undead was either strangely routine or brutal, this was the first. It made protecting the sick woman easier, and her companions fighting skills proved to be good. Which explained how the two of them were still alive.  
  
Afterward, surrounded by mostly dead walkers, she went from one body to the next and stabbed it in the head to make sure none of them would ever kill someone again. Once again she had an unhelpful audience. She mentally shook her head but didn't comment until she'd checked all of them and made sure.  
  
"Sitting out in the open like that was foolish. You never know when the living or dead are going to attack, so you need to take precautions."   
  
The conversation went downhill from there, but at least they didn't make demands for her to leave.


	2. Keep Walking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: BtVS & TWD belong to their respective owners, none of whom are yours truly.

Three weeks after meeting two fellow survivors of the zombie apocalypse she was still traveling with the two women. Andrea was still sick, but better than she had been. Unfortunately, it was getting colder and that meant she would most likely get worse.

Michonne barely spoke but when she did it was because she had something to contribute. It was a refreshingly different approach from the third woman in their group, who spoke too much. It wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't been so desperate to prove herself, but she was willing to learn how to fight. Even if she did whine constantly.

Andrea had a long-bladed knife, but given her physical health and lack of training that was too risky, but since they didn't have swords, crossbows, or other weapons that allowed for a greater distance they had to make do. Buffy had the Scythe, but there was no chance she would allow anyone to use it for any reason. Unless they were a Slayer, of course. Neither of her traveling companions was mystically enhanced in any way so the weapon didn't leave her.

It was why they kept an eye out for hunting stores and any other places that might have sold crossbows and swords pre-apocalypse. Chances were that those same places also had other survival gear. Buffy really, really wanted a crossbow as she had left hers at the IDC's Headquarters in Cleveland. In hindsight, it had been a terrible idea, but her Slayer Dreams had failed and didn't warn her of the impending end of the world. That in itself was informative since it meant it was most likely not demonic or otherwise in her purview of responsibility. No one else had been warned either.

That meant that someone else had failed to stop it. Someone non-mystical, most likely scientists or law enforcement, or a combination of whoever was in charge of stopping biological warfare. Someone, somewhere knew how this virus had been made, modified, or spread so quickly without anyone being able to stop it or at least slow it down.

There was a chance it was natural, but if she had been a betting woman her money would've been on someone arranging to see the world burn. It wasn't just vampires and the demonic who tried to end the world, after all.

The borders should've been closed, the world's population should've been placed in quarantine or isolation or both in an attempt to slow it, but the world had gone from its usual chaos to most of them becoming murderous corpses in barely a week. No one had been prepared for it or how quickly civilized society had collapsed. Everything after that had been too little too late.

"We need to find a car." Andrea broke the silence again.

Michonne ignored her just as she had done the last dozen times she had made the same statement.

"If you see a car that looks to be in working order then we'll see if it works and if it has fuel. Until then we'll have to walk." They had passed many cars in the last few weeks, but either they were wrecks, out of fuel, there were too many walkers nearby, or something else stopped them from taking advantage.

Faith had taught her how to hotwire a car when they had both been in England at the same time two years before. Much to Giles' annoyance she had used his car to practice on. Buffy hadn't needed the skill until recently, but the one working car they had found had proved easy to start. Given how their luck was going it had been low on diesel and they'd had to abandon it within a few hours.

So they kept walking and walking and walking. At least it had the benefit of upping their fitness level if nothing else. Buffy made Andrea practice her defensive skills when they took longer breaks, and every third or fourth time she showed her some offensive moves. They needed better weapons though.

Michonne knew how to use the katana she had gotten somewhere, but by her own admission, she was self-taught. So other than a few corrections and suggestions Buffy let her be as she seemed to have found a style that worked for her.

Buffy did start teaching both of them Tai-Chi though. It helped both with the stress of their new reality and with finding a calm within themselves when they had to fight for their lives. The addition of a better balance and improved situational awareness helped, too.

They had a long way to go, but they were working on it.


	3. Stargazing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon and the TWD 'verse belongs to rich people with expensive lawyers.  
> Author's Note: Written for Day 10 of the 2020 August Fic-A-Day.

Buffy had climbed up on the roof of the house they were currently squatting in. Was it still squatting if no one owned property anymore? It didn't matter. The house had been empty when they entered, and it had even had a few bottles of water, a dozen tin cans, spices, and a few other edible things. A thorough search of the entire house had revealed a well-kept house with no signs of the apocalypse. It looked like the inhabitants had left on a vacation and simply never returned.  
  
It made it easier for them; nothing to kill, no corpses to remove, no blood or other disgusting stuff they had to use precious water to wash away. All they had to do was move in and make themselves comfortable, and they had. For the first few nights, they had all slept in the master bedroom, but after that, they had split up and taken a room each.  
  
The house was large, and in addition to the master bedroom there were two single bedrooms, presumably where the house owners children had grown up, and two guest rooms. There were also two bathrooms on the second floor but no access to running water.  
  
The property was surrounded by a thick fence, but it was only about five feet high so if a large herd came by and realized they were there, they would have to either run or hide in the hope the undead would grow bored and leave. But for now, they were relatively safe and more comfortable than they had been in months. It also helped that they were able to give each other some much-needed personal space.  
  
It was temporary. So far they had stayed for a month, and while the surrounding houses were much in the same shape, it was only a matter of time before they ran out of food and would need to go looking for somewhere else to stay. None of them knew anything about farming, but Buffy knew a thing or two about hunting. Kinda. It gave them fresh meat, but it had to be eaten quickly as they had no way to store it. It also meant she had to leave the other two for the entire day as they were some distance from a forest.  
  
Even now, it was strange to be able to see the night sky so clearly. No smoke, no smog. Just a clear, star-strewn sky and the moon shining softly on the landscape. It was beautiful, the added night sounds and the lack of walkers were very relaxing. But it wasn't to last as she could hear Andrea on the stairs.  
  
For someone who claimed to be such an independent woman, she sure was clingy.  
  
"What are you doing up here again? It's freezing." The older blonde had found warm jumpers, down jackets, and other winter clothing while familiarizing herself with the home. Given the lack of electricity, she was wearing it pretty much all the time. Michonne had done the same, although she hadn't bundled up as much. Buffy was wearing it more for show than actually being cold. Something else to thank her Slayerness for, she supposed.  
  
"It's peaceful up here," then she added. "I'm a night owl and being outside and seeing the sky relaxes me." It was true enough, but some proper Violence Therapy would've been even better. Larger groups of walkers cut the edge off, but she needed something more. Something this particular kind of undead couldn't give her.  
  
Changing the subject as she turned around, she said. "We need to make preparations to leave. We won't be able to scavenge here for much longer, so we need to pack up. See if we can't find a working car and fuel for it."  
  
About half of the homes had cars, either in a garage or in the driveway. Over the weeks they had tested a few, but with little luck. A couple of them had had a decent amount of fuel though, so if they could just find a working car...  
  
"There's enough food for another two weeks, at least! We're safe here."  
  
"No, we're not. It's an illusion. We've been lucky, but it won't last. A large herd will come, and when it does we need to be elsewhere. Preferably somewhere with a tall, thick, and strong fence to keep them out." Then she added, more like an afterthought; "And people."  
  
"We should try harder to find my group. I'm sure most of them made it, and if Hershel is still alive then he can help me." A doctor, even a veterinarian, was the holy grail of the post-apocalypse. For that reason alone, she was willing to look for them. It helped that most of them sounded like good people and willing to defend their group. Unfortunately, it didn't sound like they were very good at it.  
  
It didn't mean they would accept her and Michonne, no matter what Andrea wanted to believe. It didn't mean that Michonne was willing to join even if they allowed them to stay. The third woman of their little trio wasn't all that fond of people, and becoming part of a group with a lot of in-fighting might not go over so well.  
  
"A large group of people shouldn't be that difficult to see if we come across them. But for now, we need to collect as much food and water as we can, get a car, and then move on from here."  
  
Andrea studied the property for a few moments. It was large, and if it had better security, was closer to either the ocean or a forest with plenty of wildlife then it might've been their home for longer, but it wasn't. The former lawyer turned toward her again.  
  
"Do you think they made it?"  
  
"If the herd was as large as you said, then maybe not. If they managed to escape in cars and didn't run out of gas at some unfortunate time, then they might've made it. I hope they did. No one deserves to die like that."  
  
Andrea got more comfortable and they spent the next while just watching the stars as they tried to corral their own spiraling thoughts. They had been living in their little bubble, leaving meant more danger. It meant they might run into people who might or might not be friendly.


	4. Slayage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timeline: BtVS: Post-Chosen & TWD: S03.  
> Disclaimer: The Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon and the TWD 'verse belongs to rich people with expensive lawyers.  
> Author's Note: Written for Day 16 of the 2020 August Fic-A-Day.  
> A/N: Blah.

A month after leaving their temporary little semi-safe haven they had found a new one. It was in a built-up area with enough mostly untouched houses for it to be worth staying for a while. By Buffy's estimation, it was mid-October and cold enough to warrant living in houses rather than whatever happened to look semi-okay.  
  
Luckily Georgia wasn't one of the states that got a heavy snowfall in the winter, so it could've been worse, but she would still have preferred one of the warmer states. Even if that most likely meant more mobile walkers.  
  
It hadn't been entirely safe though, there was a herd heading straight for the small village they were in, and unless there was a loud distraction in another direction they would be there in a few hours. Both Andrea and Michonne were aware of it, even if their eyesight wasn't good enough to make them out yet. It caused tension and low, hissing debates as to what they were going to do about it.  
  
There were no cars in the area so they couldn't get into one and drive away. There were no motorcycles, bikes, or even electric scooters. They could try to walk or they could hide somewhere in the house, either in the basement or in the attic.  
  
Buffy wanted to go out there and kill the undead as her instinct kept telling her to do, but she was worried her two companions would try and 'help' her. And that was likely to get them dead. It didn't matter to them that she had told them she was faster and stronger than normal people, it didn't matter that they had seen her fight and kill the walking corpses. Both of them, but especially Andrea kept trying to join. It was annoying.  
  
"If I go out there and kill as many as possible and then try to lead the rest away from here, are you two going to stay inside the house?"  
  
As expected, Andrea protested immediately and then went into a coughing fit half-way through.  
  
"You can't go out there, Andrea," Michonne interjected. "You're too sick. You'll get us killed trying to protect you."  
  
"Exactly," Buffy acknowledged. "You need to stay in the house, and Michonne will protect you if they manage to get in."  
  
The dark-skinned woman gave Buffy a look showing she didn't entirely agree but conceded the point.  
  
"I'll leave right now, and you two barricade yourself in the basement. Stay quiet, and I'll be back after nightfall."  
  
The other blonde tried to argue some more, but Michonne somehow managed to make her back down. Buffy hadn't managed to figure out how to do that yet. She left and as soon as she was out of sight she felt a sense of calm pass through her. It had been easier than she had expected, but then she had the feeling Michonne didn't particularly like her.  
  
Andrea wanted to be in charge, but she always hid behind one of them, and it wasn't just because she was sick. The three of them probably weren't a good mix without someone else to be a mediator, but most people avoided other people, and even if you got into a group it didn't mean they trusted you.  
  
She walked faster as she could feel her body react to the anticipation of finally getting a good fight. Walkers weren't abnormally strong, but they were relentless, and they normally stayed in groups. That meant even more danger for normal people, but for a Slayer who only wanted to burn off excess energy, it was perfect. Or, perhaps not perfect, but without any of her usual pray available, it would have to do.  
  
The herd was medium-sized but they had sprawled out over a large area. Still, Buffy's voice carried out to most of them as she said "Here, corpses, corpses! Here corpses, corpses! Permanent death is near!" in a loud voice.  
  
Loads groans greeted her and she grinned. Finally! She ran into the herd, swinging the Scythe and lobbing two heads off in quick succession. The next one met the pointed end while the fourth had half its head sliced off. The next half hour was spent kicking, hitting, and jumping over and around the undead while effectively using her favorite weapon. Despite this, she deliberately drew out the fight.   
  
These particular walkers had only been dead for a month or two, and with the colder weather, they didn't decompose as fast as those who had been around since the early summer. It meant they were faster and more intact than the older ones. They were also more intelligent and had better muscle memory. Put together that meant they were much more dangerous and a better workout for Buffy, who used it to her advantage.  
  
Still, she ran out of undead much sooner than she had hoped, but at least she knew the other two women were safe for another day, and the herd wouldn't kill anyone else. It was good to know she was still saving people, even if it wasn't as effective as it had been before.  
  
Fighting the walkers had helped with her stir-craziness though, and with a little luck, it would work for a few days. Running around the area at top speed only did so much for her, but it was the best she could do during the circumstance. She needed to find a bigger group so she wouldn't be so closely watched.   
  
Before she had left to cut down the herd she had put on a slim running belt bag under her clothes, and she had placed her water bottle, a little food, and her phone into it. Today was the day for the weekly group chat with her friends. Removing the phone from its hiding place she saw she still had an hour and a half, so she went hunting for a different kind of prey. More specifically the kind they could eat for dinner.  
  
A half-grown deer lost its head to the Scythe about an hour later, and she field stripped it. The second group she had joined included a couple of hunters, and she had gotten them to teach her. They had been good people, but they had been spooked by her speed, and that had been it. She was no longer a member of the group, but an enemy.  
  
The phone rang when she was almost done, and she ended up placing it between her head and shoulder so she could finish. It was more than a little inconvenient, but she needed to complete her task before someone or something smelled the blood and came nosing around.  
  
"Hi everyone!" She said cheerfully when she had established contact. "What's the sitch with you guys?"  
  
"We are still far enough away from the cities and tightly populated areas to not have noticed any large herds, but smaller ones will come by now and then. The younger Slayers draw straws over who gets to kill them." Giles reported in from their base in England, where he had been spending most of his time, even before the world fell apart.   
  
"Kansas is still overrun," Faith reported. "But the group I've been with for the last few weeks have gotten over their shock and have accepted me. Slayer skills and all. "  
  
"That's great. Has anyone of them shown any specific abilities in fighting, cooking, or have any medical know-how?"  
  
"Fighting, yes. Kinda. They're more of the 'let's shoot it' kind, but they know how to brawl and they love knives, so yeah. Not a complete loss. Also, a couple who's into slow dining or whatever the fuck it's called. They grow their own food, and it's good. No doctors or nurses."  
  
"Lucky you," Buffy said a little enviously. "Andrea is still sick, and I don't think Michonne knows much more than me about cooking so we're still winging it." She paused as she looked down on her most recent kill. "I've gotten better at the hunting for dinner thing and I'm bringing back a small deer."   
  
"Can you chance a fire?" Giles asked concerned.  
  
"Yes. The house we're in has one of those big fireplaces and we've done a little creative building so we can cook in there. It works, but we're not staying here much longer, so we should be fine."  
  
They all went around and gave their updates, with or without commentary from the rest until it was Xander's turn. He simply said, "I've been bitten."  
  
Buffy inhaled sharply. "Any chance of amputating it?"  
  
"It's on the upper part of the shoulder, and I kinda need that part of me, so that's a no, Buffster."  
  
"Why didn't you open with that? We wasted time on the reports instead of talking with you!" Dawn was upset, they all were, and she had a good point.  
  
"I. Um, I wanted a normal conversation, not a Xander pity-party. It's okay, it'll be quick since its so close to the brain. Jenny has promised to destroy my brain and burn my corpse before I reanimate. I won't be eating anyone."  
  
He was right. They spent nearly an hour saying their goodbyes before he faded out and Andrew informed them Xander was unconscious. He disconnected from the group chat, and the rest of them did the same shortly after.  
  
Buffy's eyes prickled but she couldn't afford to cry. She was in a forest with who-knew-what, and the two women back at the house didn't know about the phone. Grieving had to be put on hold, and a flare of anger ran down her spine but she pushed it away. It was of no use to her without something to kill.  
  
Her sister and Giles were still alive, but for how long?


	5. Slayer Meet Hunter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timeline: BtVS: Post-Chosen & TWD: S03.  
> Disclaimer: The Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon and the TWD 'verse belongs to rich people with expensive lawyers.
> 
> Author's Note: Written for Day 28 of the 2020 August Fic-A-Day.

In February, Buffy, Michonne, and Andrea were still moving from house to house in an attempt to keep safe and at least try and avoid the cold temperatures. As the apocalypse hit in the early summer, most people didn't have winter clothing readily available, but by going systematically from room to room they were able to find something to keep themselves warm.  
  
In one of the houses, they had found wool underwear, winter boots, and a thick coverall which they bundled Andrea into to keep her warm and hopefully keep her from getting more sick than she already was. It worked and her health even improved a little. She wasn't healthy, but as long as she wasn't getting any worse they would take it as a win.  
  
Dawn, Giles, Faith, and Andrew were still alive and doing their part to keep people safe, but their numbers were dwindling. Faith's group had nearly been obliterated during what should've been the Christmas holidays when someone died during the night, quickly reanimated, and began eating their way through the rest.  
  
When they had gone to bed there had been over sixty living people but by the time all the walkers were dead and the new bodies had all had their brain destroyed, all that had been left was Faith and seven others. They'd been forced to flee their temporary camp.  
  
Buffy's little group had avoided most of the people they had come across, usually with Andrea protesting. During one of her Slayer runs where she attempted to bleed off some of the excess energy she had come across a small barricaded town called Woodbury.  
  
It had looked promising; the people inside appeared to be happy, healthy, and well-fed. But something made her hesitate, it also made her keep the information to herself. Over a week she spied on them at random times, listened in on conversations, and followed a man referred to as the Governor. He gave her the creeps even before she realized he wasn't the good person he pretended to be.  
  
It was tempting to lead him and the worst of his people into a walker trap, but she decided to let it go. Killing humans was a last resort, and while this man killed innocent people he hadn't done anything to her or the two women she was protecting. There was also only one of her, and while she was sure Michonne would help, there was a good chance Andrea would want to join, and that just wasn't happening.  
  
Instead, she leads her little trio away from the town, and the temptation of fresh food and better fighters. It does give her hope that there might be other towns elsewhere with good people in them.  
  
In early March, they were camping out in what had been a small furniture store before the world shambled its way into a post-apocalypse. It wasn't ideal and they wouldn't be staying long, it was too open and easy to spot them. But for a night or two, it was okay as long as they stayed away from the windows.  
  
She'd been running around for an hour when she suddenly spotted a man with a crossbow, and she stopped. Quickly hiding behind some shrubbery she kept an eye on the man.  
  
Andrea had carefully described everyone in her group, just in case Buffy or Michonne came across one or more of them. The man in front of her was in his mid-40's, had short brown hair, a dark vest with wings on the back, and a crossbow that had instantly made her jealous. He fit the description of the hunter Andrea had called Daryl.  
  
Deciding it was worth the risk, especially as he was clearly out hunting alone, she rose when his back was turned and walked slowly towards him. When she was about ten feet away she stopped and, for lack of anything more creative, said "Hi."  
  
He jumped slightly but used the movement to turn around. At the same time, the crossbow came up and pointed right at her. She had very deliberately left the Scythe in its makeshift harness on her back to look non-threatening. Still, she raised both hands a little so he could see she wasn't holding anything dangerous in them.  
  
"Who are you?" He asked suspiciously.  
  
"My name is Buffy." His eyes narrowed even more. "Is your name by any chance Daryl?"  
  
In place of a proper answer, he asked a counter-question as he very obviously adjusted his aim. "How did you know that?"  
  
Buffy allowed her hands to fall back to her sides before she replied. "I've spent the winter with a woman called Andrea," he perked up a little. "She described everyone in her group to me, just in case I came across any of you while out hunting."  
  
His aim didn't waver. "What does she look like?"  
  
"Tall, blonde, light green eyes. Bossy attitude but hides behind others, and she used to be a Civil Rights Lawyer."  
  
"Is she okay?"  
  
"Kinda. She's sick and has been for most of the winter, but she's getting better."  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
"Somewhere safe, for now." Then she decided she might as well get the information Andrea would ask for as soon as she found out Buffy had been talking to someone from her old group. "Who else survived when the Greene Farm was overrun?"  
  
"Rick, Lori, Carl, Carol, Hershel, Maggie, Glenn, Beth, T-Dog." Daryl listed them as if he was reading off a script.  
  
Buffy nodded. "She'll be happy to hear that."   
  
"You need to bring her back to us, as soon as possible."  
  
"I can do that if you tell me where your group is staying, and if there are others."  
  
It was worth a try, even if she doubted it would work, and she was right because the man snorted.  
  
"Nice try, girly. Meet me here tomorrow, and if Andrea's really with you then we'll take it from there."  
  
She smiled a little, "It's good you're cautious about your base. I approve, and we'll be here. Just tell your people not to harm us."  
  
"No promises. Now leave."  
  
That was rude, but she left non-the-less. She ducked behind some trees and then made sure he wouldn't be able to see which direction she left in. She briefly debated with herself to see where he went, but she had been out longer than she had planned and needed to get back. If they were going to make it, then they needed to leave early. The distance was short for her, but the other two women didn't move as fast as she did.


End file.
